🇲🇽 La Catedral de CDMX | En 30 MINUTOS

Summary of YouTube Video: Evolution and Parts of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City

Key Concepts:

• Plaza Mayor: Main square in Spanish colonial cities.
• Tenochtitlan: Ancient Aztec capital, now Mexico City.
• Cathedral: Principal church of a diocese, seat of a bishop.
• Archdiocese: Larger ecclesiastical jurisdiction containing multiple dioceses, headed by an archbishop.
• Vaults: Arched ceilings or roofs (lunette, bay/handkerchief, groin, star).
• Churrigueresque: Highly ornamented Spanish Baroque style.
• Stipe: A type of column wider at the top.
• Cypress (Ciprés): A specific type of freestanding, multi-tiered altar.
• Metropolitan Tabernacle: Building attached to the cathedral, used for storing the Eucharistic reserve, archives, and vestments.
• Differential Settlement: Uneven sinking of a building due to unstable ground.
• Cenotaph: A funerary monument that simulates being a tomb, but does not contain the remains of the deceased.

1. Foundation and Early Construction (16th Century):

• Following the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan in the 16th century, Alonso García Bravo was commissioned to design the new city, including a central square, the Plaza Mayor.
• The Spanish sought to erase the existing Aztec culture by destroying the ceremonial precinct and palaces of Tenochtitlan.
• Stones from the destroyed Aztec temples were used to construct a Catholic church, completed in 1526 and facing west.
• In 1534, the church was elevated to a cathedral, becoming the seat of the Diocese of Mexico.
• Around 1545, the Diocese of Mexico became an Archdiocese, and the bishop of Mexico City became an archbishop, with the cathedral becoming the Metropolitan Cathedral.
• Construction of a new, larger cathedral began in 1552, with material sourced from the temples of Tenochtitlan.
• In 1584, the old cathedral was restored to continue functioning while the new cathedral was under construction.

2. Construction Progress and Challenges (17th Century):

• By 1616, the cathedral walls had reached approximately half their final height.
• In 1623, the sacristy was completed and used as a temporary space for Eucharistic celebrations, leading to the demolition of the old cathedral. The portico of the old cathedral was moved to the church of the Hospital of Jesús Nazarene.
• A major flood in 1629, with water reaching 2 meters high, suspended construction and raised concerns about the cathedral's location.
• In 1659, illegal constructions around the cathedral were demolished, and a perimeter wall was built to prevent future encroachments.
• By 1667, the vaults of the cathedral were completed.

3. Architectural Features: Vaults:

• Lunette Vault: Found in the central nave, derived from a barrel vault with openings (lunettes) on the sides, often with windows. Decorated with moldings with geometric motifs.
• Bay Vault (Handkerchief Vault): Found in the side naves, formed by the intersection of a dome with a cube. Decorated with radial moldings.
• Lowered Vault: A variation found in some side chapels, with a different distribution of moldings.
• Groin Vault: Product of crossing two barrel vaults of the same height, widely used in Romanesque architecture.
• Star Vault: A groin vault with star-shaped ribs, commonly used in Gothic architecture (though in this case, using semicircular arches instead of pointed arches).
• A provisional dome was built in the central area of the temple.

4. Consecration and Façade Completion:

• The cathedral was consecrated as the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Heavens of Mexico City.
• In 1675, the lower part of the main façade was finished.
• The first body of the eastern tower was built during this century.
• In 1688, the eastern access porch was completed, followed by the identical western access porch in 1689.
• Buttresses were added to reinforce the structure supporting the vaults of the central nave and the main façade.
• Construction of the seminary next to the cathedral began in 1689 and took approximately 10 years to complete.

5. Interior Chapels (17th-18th Centuries):

• Chapel of the Holy Angels: Located below the western tower, covered with a star vault. The original chapel was destroyed by fire in 1711 and rebuilt in 1713.
• Chapel of Saints Cosmas and Damian: Simple groin vault, neoclassical altarpiece, paintings depicting the lives of the saints.
• Chapel of Saint Joseph: Baroque altarpiece from the old church of Our Lady of Montserrat, featuring an image of Jesus Christ known as the Lord of Cocoa.
• Chapel of Our Lady of Solitude: Star vault, Solomonic columns in the altarpiece, paintings from the 1670s.
• Chapel of the Lord of the Good Office: Lowered vault with a different distribution of moldings, neoclassical decoration from the 19th century.
• Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Complex star vault, neoclassical style.
• Chapel of San Felipe de Jesús: Star vault, altarpiece considered one of the best in its style.
• Chapter House: Space for priests to discuss church and community matters.
• Altar and Altarpiece of the Divine Savior: Churrigueresque style.
• Chapel of Our Lady of Zapopan: Altarpiece identical to that of the Altar of the Divine Savior.
• Sacristy: Oldest part of the cathedral, with an 18th-century decoration.
• Chapel of the Holy Christ and the Relics: Baroque altar with relics of saints, a thorn from the crown of thorns, and a splinter from the true cross.
• Chapel of Saint Peter: Two altarpieces depicting the life of the apostle Peter.
• Chapel of Our Lady the Ancient: Lowered vault, remodeled in neoclassical style around 1718.
• Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Neoclassical altars from a renovation around 1809.
• Chapel of the Immaculate Conception: Baroque altarpiece with oval paintings, reconstructed in the 20th century.
• Chapel of San Isidro: Modified with the construction of the metropolitan tabernacle.
• Chapel of Our Lady of the Anxiety of Granada: Located below the oldest tower, Churrigueresque altars, star vault.
• All chapels were enclosed with ornate grilles.

6. Choir and Interior Ornamentation (18th Century):

• In 1696, the choir was built in the middle of the central nave, made of wood with two levels of ornate chairs, including Solomonic columns.
• The lectern in the middle has four sides, one for each voice type in the choir.
• The choir was also enclosed with a fence.
• In 1720, the Chapel of the Souls was completed at the back of the cathedral.
• In 1725, Jerónimo de Balbás finished the Altar of the Kings in the apse, featuring six kings and six queens, with Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in the middle.

7. Churrigueresque Baroque Style:

• The Altar of the Kings exemplifies the Churrigueresque Baroque style, characterized by excessive ornamentation, Solomonic columns, and the use of the stipe.
• The style is named after the Churriguera family of Catalan architects.

8. Altars and Organs:

• In 1735, the Altar of Forgiveness was built behind the choir, designed to be the first thing seen upon entering the cathedral.
• Around this time, the organs that exist to this day were installed.
• In 1737, the old main altar was replaced with a baroque "cypress" altar, a freestanding structure with multiple altars. Examples include the cathedrals of Morelia and Puebla, and the Convent of Rosario in Puebla.
• A grandstand was also built around the choir in 1737.

9. Metropolitan Tabernacle (18th Century):

• Construction of the Metropolitan Tabernacle began in 1749, with a Greek cross plan and a dome.
• It served to store the Eucharistic reserve, archives, and the archbishop's vestments.
• The entrance features a Churrigueresque portico with representations of the twelve apostles.
• Tezontle (red volcanic stone) is used on the sides of the portico.
• The interior features lunette vaults in the central nave and lowered vaults on the sides, along with neoclassical altars.
• The main altar is located in the apse.
• In 1760, the Metropolitan Tabernacle was completed, and a passage was opened to the cathedral through a carpanel arch. The Chapel of San Isidro was modified to serve as a passage.

10. Late 18th and Early 19th Century Modifications:

• In 1787, architect José Damián Ortiz de Castro designed the towers with bell-shaped finishes and a dome.
• In 1790, Viceroy Juan Vicente de Güemes cleared the square and ordered modifications.
• During these works, the Sun Stone was discovered and displayed in the western tower.
• In 1792, the cathedral enclosure was replaced with pillars and chains, and the Mañozca cross was removed.
• In 1793, architect José Damián Ortiz de Castro died, having completed the towers with openings for the bells.
• Manuel Tolsá replaced him and finished the cathedral, rebuilding the dome with a lantern and adding sculptures representing Faith, Hope, and Charity.
• A fresco representing the Immaculate Conception was painted inside the dome.

11. 19th Century: Independence and Further Changes:

• In 1821, Mexico's independence was consummated, and Agustín Iturbide was crowned emperor in the cathedral.
• In 1838, the remains of Agustín de Iturbide were moved to the chapel of San Felipe de Jesús.
• In 1847, during the American invasion, the Sun Stone was used as target practice by American soldiers.
• In the mid-19th century, the baroque cypress was replaced with a neoclassical one designed by Lorenzo de la Hidalga.
• In 1863, Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg made interventions in the city's buildings and streets.
• In 1881, a hypsographic monument to Enrico Martínez was erected near the National Palace to measure the height of Lake Texcoco. A new enclosure was also made around the cathedral.
• In 1885, the Sun Stone was moved to a museum for protection.
• In 1886, the crosses were moved inside the enclosure.
• In 1912, the Mañozca cross was placed near the back of the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

12. 20th Century: Discoveries, Restoration, and Challenges:

• In 1913, archaeologist Manuel Gamio found a corner of the main temple (southwest) after the demolition of a building.
• In 1914, ash trees blocking the view of the monuments were uprooted.
• In 1924, the gardens around the cathedral were removed.
• The hypsographic monument was moved to the northwest end of the plinth.
• A fountain dedicated to Fray Bartolomé de las Casas was built in front of the seminary.
• In the 1930s, the cathedral began to collapse, and in 1933, the seminary was demolished to reduce weight on the land. The fountain was dismantled and reinstalled.
• In 1937, the crypt of the archbishops was completed inside the cathedral, below the Altar of the Kings. It contains the remains of archbishops since Juan de Zumárraga.
• A cenotaph of Juan de Zumárraga is located in the middle of the crypt.
• In 1943, the neoclassical cypress from the main altar was removed to give greater visibility to the Altar of the Kings, and a smaller altar was built.
• In the 1950s, the Metropolitan Tabernacle was stabilized.
• In 1958, the tram tracks were removed, and the square was cleared.
• In 1967, a fire damaged works of art, the choir, the organs, and the Altar of Forgiveness.
• In 1968, the Fray Bartolomé fountain was moved to the cathedral grounds.
• In 1970, line 2 of the subway was inaugurated, with an access near the cathedral.
• In 1972, restoration work began after the fire. The organs were restored in the Netherlands.
• In 1978, the Coyolxauhqui monolith was discovered, confirming the location of the main temple.
• President José López Portillo ordered the excavation of the Great Temple of the Aztecs.
• In 1987, the Main Temple Museum was inaugurated, and the area was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
• In 1990, restoration work began to address differential settlement, involving shoring up decks, tying down arches, and building concrete structures underneath the building.
• In 2000, the main altar was replaced due to the jubilee.
• In 2017, an earthquake caused the cross on the eastern tower and the image representing hope to collapse.

13. Conclusion:

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City is a complex and evolving structure, reflecting centuries of history, cultural shifts, and architectural styles. Its construction involved the destruction of Aztec temples, the adaptation of European architectural forms, and ongoing efforts to preserve the building against the challenges of unstable ground and natural disasters. The cathedral remains a significant landmark and a testament to the enduring legacy of Mexico City.